Love Forever
by imagine purple
Summary: After a series of awkward, sad, comical, and fluffy events, Claire Uley's birthday has finally arrived. Quil is planning on telling her the truth about imprinting, but what will stand in his way? QuilxClaire. My first fanfic!
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so this is my first fanfic...Tell me if I should continue!

* * *

Claire POV

I stared out my window.

Today was dreary, and VERY boring. It was raining heavily, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, I turned back to my homework. I attempted to concentrate for a few moments, to no avail. Math was no fun on this sort of a day. What I really wanted was to curl up on my bed with my kitty, Ginger, a steaming hot mug of hot chocolate, and a nice book to read. I turned my head towards the other side of the room, and looked at my reflection in the mirror.

I was pretty, I guess.

At 15 years old, I had with wavy chestnut hair that fell to my lower back, eyebrows that arched perfectly, and turquoise eyes that were framed with thick black eyelashes, I was what some called exotic.

However, I didn't really care about the guys that thought I looked pretty; there was only place for one man in my heart, and that man was—

"Claire?"

A deep voice boomed from the other side of the door. I immediately recognized it: Quil. My heart fluttered at the mere thought of him.

"Claire, are you in there?" he asked.

I strolled across my room, and opened my door.

The sight that greeted my eyes was one that made my heart skip a beat.

Quil was standing in front of me, wearing a thin white shirt that hinted at the muscles that lay beneath it. His silky black hair fell in strands around his mahogany skin, and

"Quil!" I exclaimed, though I wasn't really surprised.

"Hey, Claire-bear! I just wanted to know if I could bunk here tonight." he said.

"'Course you can, Quil! You're always welcome here..." I trailed off.

"Thanks, Claire!" he called. "I'm gonna go raid the fridge, kay?"

"Sure!" I called over my shoulder, making my way back to my desk. I mentally berated myself for dressing in such plain clothing, and resolved to take a shower and wear something nicer. Of course, it wasn't really worth the effort; Quil would never think of me as anything but a sister. I sighed, and closed my math book. My kitty wandered into the room, and I picked her up and began to stroke her ginger-colored fur.

"Ginger, why is life so complicated?" I asked her, rubbing her belly.

I thought of my diary, safely hidden in a loose floorboard. It was a good thing that Quil would never find it! Ever since I was a young child, I had been writing in there, and through the several volumes, there were many pages dedicated to my large crush on Quil. He would never find out about it, though, because I would never want to lose the best friend that he was to me.

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Good? Bad? Okay? Terrible? TELL ME!!! 


	2. Chapter 2

Quil POV

I reached Claire's door a few moments after I walked into her house, and paused to remember what my excuse for being here was. Oh, right, I had wanted to stay the night for...for...for SOMETHING.

Good enough; I would improvise if needed.

I stepped closer to the door, and heard a sigh.

"Claire?" I asked.

I paused, not wanting to show my anxiety to see her.

"Claire, are you in there?"

In a matter of second, the door was pulled open.

She stood there, so beautiful that it took me a few seconds to be able to breathe again.

Wearing a violet shirt and skinny jeans, she looked amazing; of course, she always looked amazing. I had also dressed causally, in a simple white t-shirt and some jeans that I had pulled out of my closet. She, however, looked like a model pulled off a runway, while I just looked like a lazy guy.

"Quil!" she exclaimed, in a light, flutey voice.

I tried to remember my purpose.

"Hey, Claire-bear!" I used the childhood nickname that I had given her. "I was wondering if I could bunk here tonight."

"'Course you can, Quil, you're always welcome here!"

Not wanting to seem to desperate, I made an excuse to wander off to some corner of the house.

"I'm gonna go raid the fridge, kay?" I began to walk to the kitchen.

Smiling a gorgeous smile that lit up the room, she called back to me over her shoulder. "Sure!"

I made my way to the fridge, and took out a jar of pickles, and some ketchup. Unlike most people, I, along with my beautiful Claire, ate pickles with ketchup.

Weird, I know.

I made my way to the beige couch, seating myself there in the midst of a pile of blankets and switched on the TV.

Some random gooey soap opera was on, and I began to zone out.

FLASHBACK

I was over at Emily's house, and chilling on her super-soft armchair. I was vaguely presentable—she had told me that her nieces and their mom were coming, and she didn't want a dirty teenager lounging around. I had done a fair share of work, and then decided, wisely, to quit before my hands were worn down to nubs of flesh from scrubbing the floors. The doorbell rang, and I shouted on the top of my lungs "Got it covered!"

I opened the door, and the sight that greeted my eyes made my jaw drop.

Standing there was the most beautiful little girl I had ever seen.

And suddenly, she was all that mattered.

She was my world.

Nothing else existed except Claire.

END FLASHBACK

I loved Claire more than she would ever love me, and hopefully she would never know.


	3. Chapter 3

Claire POV

I turned the shower on, and stepped in.

There was nothing like a hot shower to relax nervous muscles!

After about ten minutes, a handful of pomegranate body wash, and some mango shampoo, I stepped out of the shower and toweled myself dry.

I stole a quick glance at myself in the mirror, and tried to remind myself to be calm when I saw Quil. I picked up my dirty clothes and threw them in the hamper, and picked up my clean clothes, to put them on.

The only problem was...

THEY WEREN'T THERE!!!

"Crap!" I muttered under my breath.

I was going to have to make a run for my room, and hope that Quil didn't see me; but then again, he was probably just chilling on my sofa and eating pickles, right?

Quil POV

I heard the shower turn on, and figured that I'd take a chance and hope that Claire wouldn't see me. I placed the pickles on the wooden coffee table in front of me, and darted towards her room.

I knew I was being nosy, and invading her privacy, but I really wouldn't be; I wouldn't really take a look at any of her private stuff, only sit on her floor and...

Yeah.

I walked into her room.

The interior of it was painted a bright shade of turquoise, one that matched her eyes.

I sat on her bed, feeling comfortable.

_How much different life would be if Claire knew_, I thought in a wistful tone.

I couldn't tell her, though. What I she didn't accept me? If she found it creepy that I, her big brother-type-person, was in love with her?

And that was it, exactly.

Claire POV

I held the towel on me, tightly, and scuttled through the hallway. I paused just outside my room, listening to see if the TV was on. It was, playing some old soap opera.  
Sighing in relief, I walked into my room. Thankfully, I was not going to be the victim of something terribly—

"Claire?" Quil asked, from his position on my bed. His eyes grew wide, and I could feel my cheeks burn.

--awkward.


	4. Chapter 4

Claire POV

Oh.

My.

God.

Quil was right there.

I was in front of him.

In nothing but an extremely small towel that exposed more of me then I preferred!

This was embarrassing beyond embarrassing.

Quil's face was bright red, and he was stuttering.

"I...uh...um...gotta...do that thing, in...uh...that place. Yeah. I'll be back...uh...when...um...yeah." he slowly backed out of my room, and I walked into it and shut the door. I was SUCH an idiot!

Quil POV

Crap.

Fudge.

Shoot.

Claire stood in front of me, trembling, her skin a shade of crimson that would put tomatoes to shame. Her towel barely reached her mid-thighs, exposing a lot of her skin. Her chestnut hair fell in wet strands around her face, which was adorable even in her obvious embarrassment.

Talking about embarrassment...

I was sure I, myself, had invented a new shade of red with my blood rushing to my flushed face. She probably thought I was a busybody, nosing through her private possessions like they were my own!

I realized that I was just standing there, so I made an excuse to leave.

"I...uh...um...gotta...do that thing, in...uh...that place. Yeah. I'll be back...uh...when...um...yeah." I stuttered.

I backed out of her room, and rushed out of the house. Running into the forest, I phased.

In my wolf form, I ran through the forest, and stopped after a few minutes to think about what had just happened.

And I had to admit to myself,

Seeing her like that was a massive turn-on!

Claire POV

He had already probably realized that I was in love with him.

WHY had I been SUCH an idiot? WHY?

Regardless of my emotions, I knew that I couldn't handle being just friends anymore. I was going to have to tell Quil.


	5. Chapter 5

Okay...not too sure how well this one turned out...and, of course, it's still short...SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE!!!!

Thank you so much to

**missbrunettgirl, ****Lunalilly, ****Edwardcrazy700, ****Fizzy Jones, ****Anneka Charlotte x, ****carconee**, and **Precious Purple Pixie Dust** for reviewing!!!

You rock!!!!

Disclaimer: Just in case you didn't know, I don't own Twilight. and I never will, to my extreme displeasure. -sob-

Oh, and by the way, when Claire was younger, she stumbled over her l's. A lot. (in this story)

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Claire POV 

It had been two hours since he had left.

I had rehearsed what I was going to say for a while, but still wasn't exactly sure of how to pull this off. Maybe the cookies would help?

I smiled, still smelling the sweet scent of cookies in the oven. I began to think of another time, when I smelled cookies...

FLASHBACK (third person)

Claire toddled unsteadily towards Quil's house, only a second's walk from her own. She held in her chubby fingers a scrap of paper. In her rush, she walked straight into the door, and fell to her diaper-clad bottom.

"Ow!" she yelped in the soprano tones of a young child.

The door opened, and suddenly Quil was holding her. He was so warm and gentle, and she loved him so much.

"Quiwwy!" she cried, positively jumping, yet still stumbling over her l's.

"Claire-bear!" he said, in a voice that was joyful.

He placed her on the ground, and she began rocking back and forth on her heels, her eyebrows furrowed as she made a desperate attempt to put words together to form a sentence.

"I...is...being ...dwawing a woowfie fow you!" (I drew a wolf for you!)

Quil grinned. "That's my little artist! Show me!"

She complied, and Quil's mouth formed a round o shape. What he saw was a beautiful drawing of a chocolate colored wolf that looked exactly like him.

"Who...who is this, Claire?"

"Tha's my guardian angew!" she said.

Quil's grin was so large that it seemed to split his face in half. He picked Claire up in one arm, and brought her over to the fridge, where he held up the drawing with a magnet. Claire relaxed in his arms, and realized that the scent of cookies had reached her nose. She sniffed twice.

"That's right, Claire-Bear, I made you cookies!"

Claire knew that this was where she was meant to be, in the crook of Quil's elbow. She sighed, feeling content.

END FLASHBACK

I shook my head. I could almost feel those strong, brown arms wrapped around me. Wait...

There was a pair of arms around me!

"Quil?" I asked, hoped.

He grinned down at me.

"Hey, Claire!" he began to tickle me, and I started to giggle. But then I remembered; I had one purpose, and one purpose only.

"Quilly?" He seemed to realize that I was being serious.

I looked up into the dark, mischievous eyes of my adopted brother, my love.

"Quil, I love you."

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OOOH!!!! Sort of cliffy type thing!!!!! (yeah, I know--i can't put a sentence together.) 


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks to my faithful reviewers, **missbrunettgirl, ReadingLove, Lunalilly**, and last (but certainly not least!) **Precious Purple Pixie Dust**. YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!  
moving on...

Here it is!!!!!!!

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Quil POV 

"Quil, I love you." She said, the sincerity in her voice obvious.

I paused for a second, almost wishing that she meant it, that way. But she obviously didn't, and until she was 16 I couldn't tell her that I loved her that way, so I couldn't betray my emotions, despite my disappointment.

"I love you too, kid! Now let's get those cookies out of the o—" I said.

She interrupted me.

"No, Quilly, I really love you. Not just sibling love. I'm in love with you."

If only it wasn't the type of love that arose between siblings.

It took me a second to comprehend that it actually wasn't.

"You...you...me...love...what?" I could barely put a sentence together.

"Yes, Quil." Her turquoise eyes were serious, but showed nothing but adoration. Her black eyelashes cast two-inch long spiky shadows across her cheeks.

It took all I could to not jump up and down with excitement.

She loved me!

She really, really loved me!!!!!

I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it in a few seconds as I was interrupted by another thought.

_You promised Sam that you wouldn't!_

Stupid conscience.

Should I, or shouldn't I?

Her 16th birthday was not too far away; I had waited for fourteen years, and I could certainly wait for another two weeks, couldn't I?

Couldn't I?

I glanced at Claire, who was steadily turning paler and paler.

She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

She thought I didn't love her.

Claire POV

He looked at me in shock. His eyes betrayed nothing. He seemed disappointed, even.

"I love you too, kid! Now let's get these cookies out of the o-"

Maybe it was a mistake to tell him...

"No, Quilly, I really love you. Not just sibling love. I'm in love with you."

It probably was...

I looked at him, and he opened his mouth and spoke.

"You...you...me...love...what?" he stuttered out words, but it was easy for me to understand what he was saying.

I was in too deep to back out, now.

"Yes, Quil." I said, and hoped that his reaction would be a good one.

His face seemed to be immensely happy, and he opened his mouth to speak again, and just left it open, seemingly lost in an internal conflict.

I waited for a few moments.

And a few more.

And a few more...

A voice in the back of my head was talking to me.

He doesn't love you, he doesn't love you, he doesn't love you, he doen't love you, hedoesntloveyouheduzntluvyou...

I saw the words swim in front of my eyes, and the room began to shimmer around the edges.

A single tear fell from my eyes.

Then, my world went black.

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Was it terrible? I hope not...PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME!!!! 

love,

Meera (a.k.a. imagine purple)


	7. Chapter 7

I'm SOOO sorry for not updating! It's just that I hit a massive case of writer's block. But I just kept on writing, and VOILA! new chapter!!! YAY!!! ANd the best thing is that it is longgerrr!!!1! YIPPEEEE!!!! Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers:  
**Lunalily:** Well, maybe dying is a bit far-fetched...but THANKS FOR THE REVIEW!!! x3

**Madeline693:** You rock. A lot. Thanks a bunch for reviewing!!!! (really? one of the best?? AAWWWWW THANKS!!!!)

**stephhead2:** Thanks to you too!!!!!!!! I like doing different POVs, it's fun to pretend you are a totally different person.

**xoIts Just MExo:** Wow. now I sound stupid, but thanks! Even though your review was short, it was sweet!!!! x3

**BloodRedSnowWhite:** Yeah, I actually did alsmost smack the computer, in my anger at Qquil. Your review actually made me laugh hysterically, which I do a lot (ask **Precious Purple Pixie Dust** or **BluBeariG**!). THANKS!!!

and thanks to my BFFs,

**Precious Purple Pixie Dust:** indeed, it is fun to spell things wrong on purpose! oh, and how was the sleepover?

**BluBeariG:** HIHIHIHIIII!!!! thanks for the review, even though you wrote it at my house and made my hamster run all over the keyboard...OH WELL!!!!!! rock on!!!!! x3

**Betwyxt:** heh..heh...heh...DON'T KILL MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!  
thanks for the longest review ever!!!!! you made me laugh too. yeah. ROCK ON!!!!

Also also, won't let m,e do proper hearts, so i'm gonna do thgem like x3 from now. Just to let you know!

And that is the end of my longest A/N EVEERRR!!!!!

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**Claire POV**

I felt like crap.

My body was freezing, but my head was boiling.

Someone had taken the liberty of putting a cool washcloth on my forehead, but I still felt really sick.

I opened my eyes, and took in my surroundings. The surface I was sprawled across felt really cold, and hard. I lifted my head slightly, and realized that I was in the bathroom.

Why was I lying on the bathroom floor?

My stomach twisted, and churned, and I retched into the open toilet.

Oh.

That was why.

Wincing, I lowered myself to the floor, and touched my head to the toilet's base, taking relief from the cold.

Suddenly, I sensed another presence in the room. I tried to speak, but my voice was too dry to get any words out properly. I swallowed the thick saliva that had gathered in my throat.

"Quil?" I rasped.

He answered me.

"Yes, Claire-Bear?" His deep voice immediately brought me comfort.

I was completely joyous. If Quil was here, there was nothing to fear at all.

He sat down somewhere near my head, and I heard a metallic clinking noise. He was dripping some liquid down my throat, and I automatically swallowed. I felt myself on the edge of sleep, and could barely tell what was going on. Slipping back into the ceaseless blissful fantasies that my brain provided of myself and Quil, I felt a smile cross my face. A thermometer beeped loudly, and suddenly I was awake again.

"Quilly?" I asked.

He responded immediately, asking me how I was.

"Too...cold." I said, hardly able to stutter out the words in my state.

Suddenly, I felt the floor leave me. I opened my mouth to complain, and then realized that I was lying on something very hot, and very comfortable.

It was Quil!

I snuggled closer, making the most of the moment. I was so sleepy that I could barely differentiate reality and my overactive, hopeful imagination.

I was almost asleep, when I felt a soft finger sliding across my cheek. It traced every portion of my face, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake.

Suddenly, a soft voice whispered to me.

"I love you too, Claire-Bear."

And then I was asleep.

**Quil POV**

Since she had passed out, about seven hours ago, Claire had woken up only in brief intervals, usually to mumble some garbled gibberish in her semi-conscious state. I really hoped she was okay; her mother was still on that business trip, and wouldn't come back for a month or so. Nancy had entrusted me with the responsibility of keeping her baby safe, and I had promised to take care of her. I knew that this whole mess was my fault, and I hated myself for not telling Claire I loved her.

I finished mixing the water and Gatorade together to form a bland mixture, and brought a spoon with me to the bathroom, where my angel was lying.

Her curly hair was fanned out across the floor, and the room smelt like vomit. Her delicate eyelids covered her eyes, and even though she was ill, she was still beautiful. She seemed to be struggling to do something. I wondered if she was going to wake up again. Smiling briefly while remembering her dazed description of the goldfish head on the ceiling, I stepped closer to her. She rasped out my name, and I stopped.

"Yes, Claire-Bear?"

She seemed to be happy that I was there, though I couldn't fathom the reason for that.

She didn't answer. I stepped closer to her, and seated myself near her head. Filling the spoon with water, I dripped some down her mouth, depending on her body's swallow reflex to carry it down. I did this over and over, until the bottle was finished. Then, I took her temperature. It was 102 degrees; that meant that the stuff I was giving her was helping.

"Quilly?" my angel talked again.

"Hey, how do you feel?" I asked.

"Too...cold." she answered, chattering and stuttering her words.

I couldn't help but pick her up. I placed her on my lap, and, leaning against the bathtub, held her close to me. She seemed comfortable. She snuggled closer, and I looked down at her adorable face. She seemed to be asleep, already. I traced the contours of her perfect face with my thumb, memorizing each indent, every part. She was my perfect angel.

"I love you too, Claire-Bear." I talked to her, and she smiled in her sleep.

* * *

HI AGAIN!!!! 

I know, you probably won't read this, but anyway, TELL ME HOW IT WAS!!!!

review, please!!!!!

Oh, and also, this is what my computer did when I accidentally put it on dictation and I was singing:

Thatwoman atcolts to S. Hubbard like thousandof them kanthanBhavna

H,,,,,,... if that corrects a P. yelled at thataddress at Sheehy E. L. P. U.managed thatthat is not asbad as a matter of the other day whenan athlete and it should and known him how much each world serially each world series E. CARE CARE CLE C. N. one Phadkesanti senate side stat stat Satish Phadke Phadkesenate Santa Ana said Ron

On one line one son of a hugsnutty

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT???? "son of a hugsnutty"

wooow.

okay, i'll stop boring you.

Signing off,

Imagine Purple


	8. Chapter 8

Hey!!!! sorry for the evident shortness of this chapter...I'll try to put another one up soon!

Thanks to all of my amazing reviewers:

**BluBeariG:** Thanks soooo much for your review, dude!!!!Your rock sooo much that it's not even funny. (But I might just be saying that to get Moose and Poopsqueak off my case - jkjkjk!) Luv ya!

**BloodRedSnowWhite**: Thanks for your review! Yeah, I felt bad for Claire, too! But you'll be happy with this chapter, I think!

**Lunalily**: Thanks! I'm happy you're not dead, too!!!!!! Yippeee!!!!!

**I**: Thanks for the review! I can't help the shortness, because I have a lot of homework. But I'll try to make 'em longer from now on!

**Hey-Hay13**: Thanks for the review! Sorry I didn't update earlier, but I have a speech to do...so I didn't get much time to actually write too much.

**carconee**: Thanks!! I know, my chapters are really short...sorry!!!!!!

I love you all!!!! Rock on!

**

* * *

Claire POV**

June 5.

That was today's date.

And today?

Today was that eve of my birthday.

Most people would be excited, getting ready for their sweet sixteen.

I? Let's just say that I wasn't most people.

My sweet sixteen consisted of exactly 10 people: Aurelie, my best friend, Sam, Emily, Jared, Kim, Quil, Embry, Jacob, Charlotte (Jacob had recently imprinted on her), Billy, and that was it, apart from the elders, and my kitty. We were going to get Chinese takeout, and sit at home and watch random things on T.V. In the minds of most teenagers, that wasn't too exciting. In my mind? Best thing EVER.

I didn't care about presents; in my opinion, they were just an unnecessary hassle.

Sniffling slightly, still recovering from the virus I had caught last week, I walked to the midpoint of my room, and lowered myself to the floor. Shifting pressure on my floor slightly, a single floorboard popped out. Underneath, I unearthed my diary. It was the same copper color as Quil's skin, a color that I loved so much. I opened it, and began to document the happenings of today.

My pen flew across the thin paper, creating tiny dents on the other side.

The scratching sound was rhythmic, almost lulling me to sleep.

I was so...so...sleepy...sleepy...slee—

Suddenly jolted awake by sweet breath in my face and two warm hands on my cheeks, my eyes flew open.

I grinned sleepily at Quil.

"Hey!" I said to him, punching him sleepily on the shoulder. I had come to accept that he didn't love me like that, and even though I would never be satisfied with just friendship, I guess it was worth it just to be with Quil.

"Hey, yourself!" he returned, gently mussing my hair.

His eyes scanned my door frame, revealing his handsome profile.

I sat forward to give him a quick peck on his check, but that was not what I got.

He turned his head at the last moment, not realizing the disastrous consequences.

My lips met his full on, and I gasped at how warm his were. They were so soft, so enjoyable. I knew that if something like this happened, I wouldn't be able to control myself at all. What I didn't foresee was Quil's reaction.

**Quil POV**

I tiptoed into her room and gently sat down on her bed. Creeping closer to her quietly, I blew into her face, and placed my warm hands around her face. Her eyes flew open, her expression comically funny; her voice was just as angelic as usual, though.

"Hey!" she said to me, looking incredibly tired. She seemed to be thinking about something; I didn't know what, though.

"Hey, yourself!" I responded, and ran my fingers through her hair lightly.

I heard a light scratching near the door, and turned my head to examine it. It stopped within seconds, so I shrugged, and shifted back to face Claire.

Then her lips met mine. She gasped wildly, and my heart began pounding at a thousand times its regular pace. Our frames molded together, and I pulled her closer, winding my fingers through her long, dark hair, and caressing her mouth with my own. Sparks of passion flew between us, as we pressed together for more. She was mine, and I was hers...we were like one person, made perfectly for each other...this was so right, so right, so right...

* * *

Hey again! Didja like it? I hope you did!!! Go review!!! It's kind of pitiful, because 22 people have me on story alert, but on average I get about 4 reviews per chapter (that's the mean amount; I got 9 reviews for chapter 6!!!) So I'm going to set a minimum. I need to have at least 7 reviews for this chapter, before you get chapter 9! Sorry, guys, but reviews make me happy! And happy Meera writes more chapters! So GO MAKE MEERA HAPPY!!!

Love,

**Imagine Purple**


	9. Chapter 9

Hey you guys!!!!!

Firstly, this is gouing to be a heckuva long author's not, just to tell you.

Secondl, OMG I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!

14 REVIEWS!!!1

ALL-TIME RECORD!!!!!!  
HOMIGAWSH!!!!!  
Okay.

I'm done spazzing.

But, I'm sorry to say, this might just be the shortest chapter EVER! It's just a filler, the next one will be good, I promise!!!!!!

Don't hurt me!!!!!!!!

See, the thing is, I'm really loopy from sleep deprivation, and I gotta go to sleep soon, because otherwise I'll have at least 20 laughing fits at the most random things tomorrow.

I've typed this up over sixz times already, my stupid computer deciding to refresh at the most randojm times. But I've got good excuses for not writing!

1. My best friends are moving away (WAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!)

2. I had a huge project/oral report due (I think I did pretty well on it)

3. I had a Rutgers leadership convention thing to go to

4. I have a lab to finish for science

5. I have a dance competition to practice for

6. I've got a lot more stuff for excuses to tell you, but I don't want to bore you to death.

Anyhow, before I get to the actual story, I think I'm supposed to put in a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I don't really think that anyone would be stupid enough to think that I was the wonderful Stephenie Meyer, but just in case you are deluded enough to think I am, I'm not. D

* * *

**Claire POV**

My lips gently separated themselves from his, and my hands untangled themselves from his hair. We were both breathing rapidly, and I shifted back a small bit, and took a look at his face. He looked elated, and I felt the same way!

I opened my mouth, and spoke.

"Wow."

"Yeah," he agreed enthusiastically. "That doesn't even cover a fraction of what I'm feeling right now!"

He opened his arms wide, and I fell into them gratefully, beginning to calm my heart and slow my irregular breathing. I sat with my back to his chest, holding his right hand with my own, and he sat behind me with a hand wrapped around my abdomen. He held his palm out, with mine on top. I looked, and saw that mine only covered a third of his. I sighed, and curled my fingers around his, bringing my lips to meet the warm flesh on the top of his hand, and leaned back into him.

**Quil POV**

Her fingers curled around mine, and I was reminded of a time long ago, when her hands were even smaller, but held on to my hand just as firmly.

FLASHBACK (third person)

_Quil walked into the room, looking at the tiny angel, spread across the bed. Her thick chestnut hair fanned out across the pillow, and her little chest rose and fell rhythmically with each breath she took. The sight of her to him made hium feel like a blind man who had just seen a gorgeous sunset oiver the ocean for the first time. Hearing her breathe was like being a deaf man who had just heard a symphony of music in perfect sync for the first time. He loved her from the depths of his soul. Creeping closer, Quil lay on the bed, right next to Claire. Feeling the slight shift in the bed, Claire frowned slightly in her sleep, and her little mouth opened a fraction of an inch. She shifted her position slightly, and without even knowing it, Claire Uley_ **[ A/N I couldn't think of her real surname; just bear with me **_entangled her chubby fingers with Quil Ataera's, firmly grasping them and holding them close to her heart. She smiled, and Quil drifted off to sleep. Emily came to stand at the door, and looked at the 3-year-old and the 16-year old fondly, and proclaimed __"Barely three, and my niece is already sleeping with some guy."_**[A/N I stole that from The Pact, by Jodi Picoult…love that book!!!!!**

END FLASHBACK

And now, as I held my angel, we both slowly drifted off to sleep, holding our soul mate close to our hearts, and wishing that we could stay that way for the rest of eternity.

* * *

I'm soooo sorry! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon! Live up to your fawesome reputation, and REVIEW!!!!

Please? I know, I'm a really bad girl, but do it for meeeee!!!!!!! I want at least 10 reviews for this chapter!!!!!!!! (yes, I'm greedy!)

I'm gonna go do my homework now...BYE!!!

Signing off,

_Imagine Purple_


	10. Chapter 10

Okay, so this is the longest chapter yet! (3 and half on microsoft word!)

Uh...

Yeah.

A huge amount of thanks to all you people who reviewed, 'cause you're awesome!!!

and an even huger thanks to **Mrs-H-Jacob-Black**, who wrote a LOOOONGGG review, which I completely loved!!!!

Okay, guys, on to the story!

Have fun reading!

**

* * *

**

**Claire POV**

In the past 24 hours, various things had happened, the most major being Quil kissing me.

He.

Kissed.

ME!!!!!

I was so ecstatic at this turn of events that I had spent the last 12 hours floating on cloud nine.

Now, that I finally calmed down to analyze things, I realized that this didn't make sense. Quil didn't love me that way, did he? He couldn't! Why would he, anyway? He had even admitted it, right? He had said that he didn't love me that way! Hadn't he? But then why would he kiss me?

I let out a sigh of frustration. Men were SO hard to understand!!!

I let my gaze drift to the window, and felt the sun warm my face. Today was my birthday! I was pretty excited; my older sister, Nancy, was going to be arriving from Hawaii today to celebrate! My mom couldn't make it in time, but I didn't really mind. She was less of a parent and more of a friend for me; she hadn't been to one of my birthdays since I was seven. My father couldn't make it, of course, because he had passed away when I was just a small child. I didn't know him that well, so it didn't really matter. I guess my direct family was pretty nonexistent, but the La Push gang more than made up for my family!

Suddenly, I heard a car pull in to the driveway. As I watched from my window seat, a brown-haired girl popped out of the car. She was clad in an orange halter top, and denim shorts. Her eyes were covered by thick sunglasses, but I knew who it was the second I saw her.

I sprinted out of my bedroom, and down the stairs, and flung open the door to see her standing on the doormat in orange flip-flops. I threw myself into her arms and hugged her tightly. She pulled back after a second, and held me at an arms-length to examine me.

"Nancy Alice Uley, where have you been?" I asked her with a stern look on my face, which quickly dissolved back into a smile.

She grinned back, revealing a row of pearly whites, but then her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to explain herself.

"I'm so sorry I'm late! The plane was delayed, and by the time I got my rental car place, they were closed, and then I had to call a taxi and by then it was already—"

I cut her off. "I was kidding! It's been so long; how are you? You're so tan! How was Hawaii?"

Her skin was a gorgeous color, unlike my pale skin. My sister and I had inherited our skin from our dad, who was Caucasian.

"I'm great! Hawaii was terrific! I stayed with Rebecca and we had a great time. You look fabulous as usual! What are you going to wear to your party? You better have something nice in your closet!"

With that, she rushed upstairs, leaving me at the entrance of the house. I saw the bewildered cabbie outside, holding one of her suitcases in each hand. I gave him a tip and asked him to bring them in, and then followed my sister's lead, up to my bedroom.

When I got there, she was looking at my closet with a completely terrified expression on her face. Here left eye was twitching, and she looked utterly disgusted.

"O-oh-ohhhh-OHHHMIIIGAAAWDDD!!!!" she shrieked.

"What?" I asked her, bewildered.

She turned on me, fuming.

"I leave you alone for six months while I'm in Hawaii, and THIS is what happens to your closet? THIS?!?"

I slowly backed away from her, hoping to avoid what I knew was coming.

"This, Claire Amy Uley, is DESPICABLE, with a capital D!!!! I thought that you promised to take good care of your wardrobe, but look at this! No skirts, no dresses, just jeans and shirts, and T-shirts at that! I can't believe you would do this to me!"

She paused to take a breath. "You are SO lucky to have a sister like me, because if you didn't you might end up wearing sweatpants to this party!"

Nancy darted out of my room, and returned a few moments later with a large suitcase.

"I thought something like this would happen, so I bought you a few things from Hawaii. There are a few things that you could wear to your party in there..."

She unzipped the suitcase, and inside, there was a collage of beautiful colors. It was like a rainbow of clothing!

I stared at the clothes, feeling frightened. Knowing my sister, the clothes would reveal a bit more of me than I had preferred...

She pulled out a few bits of fabric, thrust them into my hands, and pushed me into the bathroom.

I pulled one out of the pile. It was a dress that would probably reach my knees when worn, and was black and white. It was a halter, with black trim, and had designs that reminded me of a peacock's feathers on it, and was quite pretty. I shed my clothing, and pulled it on. I stared into the mirror that covered the entire back of the door, and smiled. It actually looked nice on me, snugly hugging my hips and my small waist. Much to my amazement, I liked it!

Nancy began banging on the door.

"Lemme see! Come on, open the door! OPEN THE DOOR!"

I smiled and opened the door, and she studied me for a moment.

"It looks good, sis! I have a great idea for what I would do with your hair...go try on the other ones!"

I sighed, and closed the door. It was good to have Nancy back, though she could occasionally be a pain. I knew she was just trying to help, though, so I just continued to do as she ordered. When it came to fashion, she was nothing short of a genius!

I pulled the dress off carefully, and selected another piece of fabric from the pile. This was a turquoise colored dress, a slightly lighter color than my eyes. It reached just above my knees, and fell very nicely. It was simple, with twisted straps, and a V-neck that plunged further than most things I wore, but I had to admit—it looked gorgeous on me, bringing out my petite figure. I had to hand it to Nancy; she had picked terrific clothes out for me!

I opened the bathroom door again, and revealed the dress to Nancy. She grinned from ear to ear, and handed me two unidentifiable objects. I took them, and realized that they were swimsuits. I must have looked just as confused as I felt, because she explained the reason that I needed a swimsuit.

"First of all, we're going down to the beach for the party, right? Secondly, we wouldn't want you wading in the water wearing that new dress! Thirdly, it's going to look gorgeous on you! So you ARE going to wear this even if I have to tie you up and put it on you myself!"

Nancy could be very scary. Very, very scary! She closed the door, and I inspected the objects. At first my brain couldn't comprehend the reason that I needed two pieces to a swimsuit...then, I realized the full extent of the torture that Nancy was going to put me through.

It.

Was.

A.

BIKINI!!!

I shrieked, and dropped it onto the floor. The last time I had worn a bikini was when I was three...and it was then that I began to wear one-pieces. Who knew that if you ripped one strap on a bikini top, the whole thing would fall off? Obviously not me.

"Nancy, I am NOT wearing this!" I yelled.

She couldn't force me into this, no way!

"But Claire, Quil will LOVE this!" she replied. I could almost see her face, eyes wide, lip stuck out in a pout.

Okay, she had forced me into this.

I stepped out of the blue dress, and out of my undergarments. I pulled the bottom up and let it rest on my hips. It, along with its evil companion, had dots all over it in retro patterns. It fit snugly. I put the top on, and it clung to my body. I tied the multiple strings and adjusted it. It was actually pretty comfortable! I wouldn't risk a look in the mirror; if I did, chances were I'd be terrified.

I opened the door a crack, to see Nancy's dark brown eyes staring at mine.

She pushed the door open further.

I tried to cover the swimsuit, but she moved my hands aside.

"I do believe that we've done it!" she cried, bouncing up and down with joy.

She gave me a huge hug, and dragged me back to my room.

"So what makeup have you got here?" she asked me.

"Uh..." I stalled, trying to remember where I had put it all when she had left.

"You do have makeup, don't you?" she asked me.

"Uh..." I watched her as she went back to the suitcase, and yanked out a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. It was filled with what looked like medieval torture devices.

I backed away from her.  
"What're you going to do to me?", I asked, fearing what awaited me.

She grinned, and brandished a tool.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt...that much!"

* * *

So? How'd you like it? I'm going to ask for at least 15 reviews for this chapter, 'cause it was extra long! CHapter one remains the chapter with the least reviews... (

But anyway, YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

Sorry to leave you with a bit of a cliffy...

Imagine Purple

P.S. I'll have the links to some of the stuff that Claire tries on in thias chapter up on my profile. Go there!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Okay, so it's been a VERY long wait. I'm soooo SOOOOO sorry, you guys. I haven't had a lot of time to write nowadays, and it's just been very a very hectic year for me, so it took me a while to get this written. I got over a huge writer's block, and hopefully I can continue to update!! Okay, so you are the MOST AWESOME people ever, because you read my story and then you reviewed. I love you guys sooo much; it really makes my day when I see that someone has reviewed my story!! Mmkay, on to the replies:

**carconee: **Thanks for the review!! yeah, the party scene's here, and it's a HUGE cliffy, which I know you are probably gonna kill me for, but...it's worth it D

**Mrs.SophieCullen:** Thanks!! It's my first fanfic, and I'm not sure about how good it is so far, but there is a MAJOR plot twist in this chapter, and I think it'll probably get better.

Bandie0898: Ummm...heheh, it took me a while to get this posted, and I'm still not sure how long it's gonna take to get the other stuff posted, but I'll try, sure. Thanks for the review!

**Precious Purple Pixie Dust:** YOU KNOW WHAT A HALTER TOP IS, DUMMIE!! You are so silly sometimes, Lusa!! ;D THANKS FOR THE REVIEW!! Luvya...(oh, and OF COURSE I make her like me, she's mainly based offa me!)

**BluBeariG: **Yeah, I can imagine why you'd find Nancy scary...heehee. YOU ROCK FOR REVIEWING!! x3 ya!!

**fire faraie25: **I must sound stupid for saying this, but gee, thanks!! That was a really nice review. Thanks again!

**OperationDuctTape:** Thank you SO MUCH for that!! It's really refreshing to get a review that doesn't just say "wow, nice story. keep writing."!! There's really nothing more that I can say, other than THANK YOU!! You rock.

**Atherium Vampire: **Yeah, I only wear makeup when I have to dance, because it's mandatory for the style of dancing I do. I'm actually pretty okay with getting it on, but I end up smearing it after a while...I guess I'm just not a makeup kinda girl ;) Your review really made me laugh, especially when you talked about the dust cloud shaped like you...lol. Oh, and don't be sorry: I LOVE LONG REVIEWS!! And I hope you got some sleep!!

**aura8675309:** Thanks for the review!! This chapter has a bit more Quil POV.

**georgie1005**: Thanks!! You rock. 'Nuff said.

**IBUBCHIKITA: **Aaaw, that was a really sweet, sincere review. Thank you so much!

**rebecca2200: **Thanks for the review!! Yeah, they are probably my favorite couple too, because their relationship is left open and is complex on so many levels...and on top of that, it's just so SWEET!! Oh jeez, now I sound like a prep...lol.

**KaitoJane: **Yeah, I love them too! I'm subscribed to the C2 Community for it, and let me tell you, they have some really good stories in there...they still haven't added mine, though...( I hope they discover it!! That would just make my day!!

**Emmy-NoVI:** Okay, that deserves the award 'Best Review of the Chapter'. That was so nice!! Yeah, they are SUCH an adorable couple THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEW!!

**IAmOfficiallyDazzled:** Lol, thanks. Update is here!!

**Awakened Soul: **Thanks!! Yeah, I am most definitely continueing it, but I can't give you an estimate of how long it's gonna take to finish it. They still have a lot more stuff that's going to happen in their relationship, so it could take a while -

**quil is hot: **THANK YOU SO MUCH!! And yes, Quil is very hot. XD

**caran427:** Really? THANK YOU!! the update is here...lol. Thanks for the review!!

**XVampWitchCatX: **Well, Quil's reaction isn't exactly written in his P.O.V., because that would be overly fluffy...but, judging from the reactions of other, similar characters, he is probably stunned.

**xxxHolliexxx:** ;) Same to you.

**youdomatter89:** THANK YOU!! I'm happy that now someone else likes this ship. It's a very cute, sweet concept, isn't it? Heehee. But truthfully, I got 21 reviews, which is 6 more than I asked for...lol. Anyhoo...Thank you!!

OKAY, back to the rest of this horrendously long A/N. Uh...well you be the judge and tell me how it came out. ON TO THE STORY!!

* * *

An hour later, I was released from Nancy's clutches

An hour later, I was released from Nancy's clutches. In the past 60 minutes, I had been sprayed, shaped, softened, and curled within an inch of my life.

I recalled Nancy's previous words: _"It won't hurt…that much!"_

I would never, ever surrender myself to Nancy like this again!

She hadn't even let me look in the mirror, until now! I was pretty sure I looked like a clown, with tons of makeup and other...unidentifiable stuff on.

Nancy dusted my face with another coating of blush, and sprayed my head again for good measure. She got me up from my seat on my bed, and led me to the bathroom.

"Voila!" Nancy cried, as I stepped into view of myself in the mirror.

The girl staring back at me had full, red lips, coated in shiny lip gloss. Her turquoise eyes were set off dramatically by a thin rim of eyeliner. Her eyelashes were full and dark, casting thick, long shadows across her face. Her hair cascaded down her back in soft chestnut curls. It was elegant, yet simple, with a few strands left out around her face. She was wearing a blue dress that matched her eyes, and hinted at the curves she never knew she had. Her whole face glowed with pleasure and happiness, and seemed to radiate light.

She was gorgeous, but seemed familiar.

Then I realized why she seemed familiar.

She was me!

"Oh my gosh!" I cried, stunned by Nancy's fashion powers.

"I know, I know, I'm amazing. Let's face it, lil sis, you've got MAD potential!" She said, and gave me a hug.

I glanced at a clock in the bathroom, and gasped. It was already 1:26! We had to get to the party! It was going to start in 4 minutes!

I slipped on white flip-flops, and ran down the stairs, with Nancy on my trail. I opened the door, and ran outside. We walked the short distance to Uncle Sam's **A/N HAHAHAA I just thought that was funny, Uncle Sam like in the USA…okay, back to the story** house, and I rang the doorbell. I heard a flurry of action inside the house. Jacob answered the door, and I smiled up at him…way up at him! He just gazed down at me, his eyes wide, his mouth slightly open.

"Claire? Is that you? Last time I saw you, you…uh…weren't wearing…I mean…uh…you…no dress…"

He seemed to have lost all capabilities to form a coherent sentence.

Charlotte **A/N she's his imprint, just in case I didn't make that clear.** joined him, and looked at him with a goofy smile on her face.

"What are you doing, Jake?" She tossed her curly red hair over her shoulder, looking at him adoringly.

He looked back at her, and the two of them started making out.

"Eeeew! Get a room!" I cried, jokingly.

Charlotte and Jake both turned to face me.

"OHMYGOSH CLAIREYOULOOKSOPRETTYOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!!" She was practically bouncing up and down. No, she actually WAS bouncing up and down!

Nancy smiled and greeted both of them.

"Hey! What's up? Any chance that we could, like, come in, or something?"

"Oh, sorry! Good to have you back, Nancy!" Jacob said. He grinned at her, and made space for us to get through the doorway, into the house.

It smelt wonderful in there, like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! I hoped that there were!

Emily ran towards me, clad in a figure-hugging green shirt, and a loose white skirt. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail. Her face had healed up more since the…accident, and now her beauty shone on the outside and inside. Both her eyes were outlined lightly with eyeliner. She embraced me, and then looked at my outfit, a smile on her lips.

"You look nice." She gently and quietly spoke to me, and I felt delighted. She might have been my aunt, but I regarded her as my mother, because we were incredibly close. The only person that I was closer to was Quil…

Speaking of whom, where was he? I looked around the room, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, a small brown object came flying at me, followed by another, HUGE brown object.

The smaller of the two hit me in the side of the head, and the larger began apologizing profusely.  
"Ow." I rubbed the side of my head.  
"I'm sorry, Claire! Sam threw it too hard, and it was going so fast, and...WOW you look pretty today!" Embry said, sounding surprised.  
"Oh, hush up. She looks pretty all the time! And what's this business of you and Sam throwing footballs?" Emily scolded.  
"Uh...nothing!" Embry backed away from her nervously.  
She gently smacked his head, and removed the football from his grasp.

Emily turned her attention back to me. "Okay, get your stuff, and let's go down to the beach for the party!" she cried.

The day was gorgeous, with the sun shining at full brightness, the waves lapping at the shore, and perfect seashells scattered all around the beach.

I shed my flip-flops and raked my feet through the sand. The sea breeze lifted my hair, and twirled it around my head, forming a halo of brown around my head. I ran towards the water, and waded down until it was up to my calves. I grinned, enjoying the feel of wet sand between my toes, underneath my feet.

Something was wrong, though.

Quil wasn't there.

Maybe he didn't want to face me after what had happened so recently?

Maybe he didn't like me anymore, for doing what I did. Maybe--

Suddenly, the ground left my feet.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUG--Quil!" I shrieked, looking up to see that it was Quil's strong arms that were suspending me in the air.

"You came!" I whispered, overjoyed.

"Well, of course! Happy Birthday!" he said, twirling me around as though I weighed as little as a feather.

He put down on the ground and looked into my eyes.

"You look ama--"

Suddenly, a clump of wet sand hit Quil on the back of the head.

Quil and I both turned our head, to see Embry walking away from us, whistling innocently and...walking towards his house?

"I'll be right back," Quil assured me, and ran towards Embry, stooping to collect a handful of wet sand from the ground.

I sighed, and turned back towards the sea.

"Hey, girl! How's it goin'?"

My best friend, Delia** A/N I changed her name, Aurelie did NOT fit her personality. Okay, I'll stop bothering you! D **gave me a bear hug, and handed me a red box.

"Open it later! You can only open it when the clock strikes 10:57!"

"Whatever!" I said, but my 'anger' was very false, and a smile cracked through in the middle of the word.

"Wow, girl, you look fabulous! Where'd you buy that new sense of fashion?" Delia joked, punching me gently on the shoulder.

"Oh, gee, thanks a lot!" I said. I was so happy to see her! The last time I had seen her was last year! She had moved to Oregon, because her father had gotten a job offer there. I had stayed up the entire night talking to her on the phone, and ran up a HUGE phone bill. My mom didn't really mind, though, because with her large salary, the bill was like a penny to her.

"So, what's up?" I asked Delia. She smiled, and tossed her chestnut hair over her shoulder. Her hair was the almost the same shade as mine, and we were the exact same height. The only major differences between our appearances were that my eyes were a vibrant shade of turquoise, and hers were dark brown, almost black, and she was a little taller and more wiry.  
Delia and I sat down on the warm sand and began to catch up on things.

Delia had gone and gotten some food. I was lying on my back and watching the sun set over the ocean. Today had been terrific! Everything had been a lot of fun, and I had gotten to talk to everybody, even Kim, who was very pregnant, barely able to walk! When we had cut the cake, I had discovered that it was my favorite: carrot cake, with frosting. I had gone for a soothing swim in the ocean, and had enjoyed everything to its fullest extent!  
Sam and Emily's twins were at their friend's house for a sleepover today, and Tiana, Embry's fiancee, was staying with her parents for the week. Everybody had given me presents, which I didn't really care for...but they were given with love, so I had to accept them! Well, almost everybody. Quil still hadn't given me a present...he had told me that my present would be given to me at 10:57. I didn't know why everyone was obsessed with me getting presents at the very time I was born, so I just shrugged it off. What was the time right now?  
I looked down at my watch. It read 7:52. I smacked it a few times in hope of making it work faster, but to no avail.  
Sighing, I resigned myself to getting some more food.

**Quil POV**

The time was 10:30. My angel sat on the sand, watching the waves. I smiled, looking at all her perfect features, tracing the perfect contours of her soft cheeks, touching her warm lips, visually. Her beauty put Aphrodite to shame. She was perfectly gorgeous, inside and out. I crept up behind Claire, and put my hands over her eyes.

"Guess who?" I asked her.

"Gee, I wonder?" she said sarcastically. She pulled my hands off of her face, and held one tightly between her two. I interlaced my fingers with hers, and she held them to her cheek, using them as a pillow. She was so innocent and loving. I didn't deserve her, but I loved her with every fiber of my being. In less than half an hour, I would give her the one thing that I wanted to: my unconditional love. I had planned exactly what I was going to say, and I knew how I was going to say it, too.  
It was wonderful how silence between the two of us said so much.

"Quil, I need to speak to you for a moment."

Sam walked over to where we were reclining. I stood up. Sam began to walk, and I foolowed him, calling over my shoulder as I left.

"Sorry, Claire, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Sam and I walked past the bonfire to a slightly more private area.

"Quil, today you're going to tell Claire about imprinting, right?"

I answered with a quick nod of my head.

"You must remember that she may not accept you. I can't guarantee that everything will work out, so you must prepare yourself for the worst."

I nodded again.

Our conversation continued, encompassing more touchy areas, but I pretty much zoned out and nodded at random intervals.

"Okay, you're free to go. It's-" Sam looked at his watch before continuing. "-10:50 right now, you still have time to get to her. Just relax, and you'll be okay."

I breathed deeply, and jogged back to where my angel was sitting on the beachside. The light, or lack of it, was playing with my vision, so Claire seemed a little more skinny; I was going to have to find a way to make her a little larger, because the stick-like size didn't suit her at all. I didn't know why, but something about her seemed a little less innocent, and not in a good way, either...but I shrugged it off. She was an angel, and in a few minutes, she would be MY angel.

Something came over me, a feeling of excitement, and I couldn't stand it anymore. I walked up to her, turned her around, and kissed her on her lips.

For some reason, though, the passion was missing. I began to move away, when she moved her arms up and held me to her, tightly. her lips devoured mine hungrily, but I remained stoic: there was something wrong, something missing...

Suddenly, I heard a small gasp beside me, and I turned slightly to find its source. My lips remained on Claire's, but as I turned, I saw something that made my heart drop. Claire was staring at me, about 10 feet away, her turquoise eyes full of agony, a single, clear tear running down her face.

_If that was Claire, then who was I kissing?_

I pulled away from her then, and then looked into dark brown, almost black eyes...

The eyes of Delia, Claire's best friend.

* * *

Yuss, I'm an evil author. I kinda hinted at it a bit, but I bet that NONE OF YOU saw this coming!! Mmkay, you know what motivates me!! Oh, wait, you don't? Okay, well, just review, please? Constructive criticism means the WORLD to me, because it makes me feel like my readers actually read, rather than skim. Please review, and I'll try my hardest to write more!!

Press that little grayish purple-ish 'Go' button, muh home slice!!

Love you guys!!

**_Imagine Purple_**


	12. Chapter 12

Okay. Before you guys all destroy me [[That is, if you still care about me ._.]], I want to briefly explain how busy my life has been.

The transition from seventh to eight grade was pretty okay, but OH MAH GAH. High schools? Synonym for death. Applying to high school? SHOOT ME NOW. And who knows whether I'll get in or not?! -.-"

Anyhow, I won't bore you any longer with details of my life.

Instead, I will use up your time and this space to tell you JUST HOW COOL MY FRIEND IS. She went and sneakily reviewed every chapter of all of my stories, with hugely long critiques.

**Jesus effing Christ, man, and this is coming from a semi-atheist-but-certainly-not-Christian person.**

So, as a tribute to her...CYBER-CUPCAKES AND CYBER-COOKIES FOR YOU, evermorefire!!! [[Notice that I didn't use your real name O.o]]

Moving along....

ze story. I'm very well aware that many of you are going to flame me after this, with 'NOOOO OMG whats rong with u u stupid idiot i hate you'-type reviews. And then, the infuriating little idbits. Such as 'I LOVE THIS STORY KEEP UPDATING'.

If you're going to flame me, do it properly.

And if you're going to review?

For my dear Bblion's sake, don't leave behind a tiny pile of crap, such as the all-too-infamous "such a good story keep writin :D"

And if you don't know who Bblion is, then...

You aren't cool XD

Okay, onto the story.

* * *

1 WEEK LATER

Claire

I walked through the hallway, clutching my books tightly to my chest. Conversations swirled around me as students at their lockers argued and chatted animatedly. I kept to myself, ducking my head and staying silent while attempting to navigate a path through the crowded hall. School was closing in a week, and it was affecting everybody. I smiled at the thought of summer, but frowned again at the realization that I had no one to share it with. I could possibly drive down to Delia's house and spend a week or two there; or something like that.

I arrived at the doorway of my next classroom. Sighing, I blew my bangs out of my eyes and walked to my seat. I got out my Chemistry notebook and a pen. Within a few minutes, the rest of the class arrived. My lab partner, a sweet, shy girl named Hannah, was absent.

Knowing that we wouldn't do much work in the class anyway, I took out a pencil and eraser and opened to a fresh page in my notebook and started to doodle. I sketched a big, bulky figure holding a petite girl in his arms without even realizing it. I was just about to add details to his face when I realized just exactly who I was sketching.

I smirked, bitterly thinking that the illustration was accurate, but the girl was not me.

I erased the picture furiously from my notebook, using all of my power.

When the paper began to rip, I realized that the small piece of rubber could help me no more, and put it away.

The light outlines of what could have been, what should have been, were still reflected on the paper.

I sighed, frustrated, and tore the paper out, crumpling it between my small fists.

I stared into space, silently willing the period to pass by.

I glanced at the clock, and was shocked to see that only five minutes had passed.

_Just shoot me now, _I thought to myself.

"Anything you would like to share, Ms. Uley?"  
I smiled sweetly at the teacher who was questioning me.

"Sorry, Mr. Takenotas. I was just thinking aloud. I didn't mean to interrupt the lesson."

He resumed the monotonous lecture on something we could care less about. I decided to observe what was going on around me.

On my right side, some random jock was sleeping soundly on his table. I could spot a small puddle of drool oozing out of the side of his mouth. I shuddered.

I turned my head to my left. Two girls were having some sort of telepathic conversation – they were both concentrating so hard that it appeared that they were constipated.

I turned around to look behind me and wished I hadn't. A jock and cheerleader were making out. The jock's hands seemed to be glued to a certain spot underneath her short skirt, and I turned around to face forward so that my breakfast wouldn't stain her white sweater an ugly shade of brown.

Staring now at the huge mole on Mr. Takenotas's face, I found myself utterly disgusted. _How could something so ugly exist? _I thought to myself.

While I was pondering the blemish on his chin, the door opened and a guy wearing a black shirt and skinny jeans stepped in. He strode over to Mr. Takenotas and whispered something into his ear.

"Class, this is our new student. His name is Andreas; he'll be in this school from now on. Tell us a little about yourself, Andreas."

The boy looked a little sleepy. He opened his mouth, and began to talk.

"I'm Andreas. I guess you already know that…um…I love to skateboard. And surf, I love surfing. I'm going to be going to this school because my mom got a job transfer. Yeah. So…that's me. Can I go sit down now?"

Mr. Takenotas looked a little put out – he had obviously been hoping for a get-to-know you session that would take the whole period, but nodded.

"Sit next to Claire. She's the one over there wearing the purple skirt, see?"

Andreas slowly walked towards me. He placed his books on the edge of the table, and sat down. Flipping his beach-blond, super-skater hair a little, he smiled a crooked hello.

"So you're Claire, huh?"

I smiled in response and nodded.

"Yeah. This is a pretty boring class, just FYI. And it's easy to ace. And he never notices if you're not listening…a prime example of that is sitting behind us."

As he turned around, I got a good glimpse of the back of his shirt. In neon green letters, it said 'WTF?!'.

I snickered a little at that – he evidently had a sense of humor.

When he turned around, he looked slightly green.

"I know. I nearly vomited."

He offered me a weak smile.

We both turned our attention to the front of the classroom, where our teacher was currently lecturing us on some random subject that was quite obvious from the giggles at the front of the classroom.

"—third pregnant person this year! You students need to learn the merits of —"

I decided that I didn't want to hear any more of this rant. I pulled my hood up and subtly inserted one earphone. I turned to Andreas and offered him one. He shrugged and took it, scooting his chair a little closer to me. Taking my iPod out of my pocket, I selected my favorite playlist, made up mostly of Linkin Park and Three Days Grace songs.

As the music started, Andreas smiled.

"I love Linkin Park. If you like them, you should try listening to Tokio Hotel. They're a really good band." He smirked a little and bit back a laugh at some hidden humor.

Shrugging a little, I nodded my thanks. He seemed pretty cool.

"What class do you have next?"

I recited the rest of my schedule by heart.

"I have gym next–"

I was interrupted by a slight groan by Andreas.

"What?" I asked, a little confused.

"Me too. Ugh!"

"You don't like gym, huh?"

"You bet. It's so difficult to run in skinny jeans…ugh."

I smiled again, and then realized something. This was the first time that I'd smiled so much since I last saw Quil.

"Want to walk together?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

***

The rest of the lesson passed fairly quickly. We gathered our books at the bell and walked to gym together.

After suffering through 45 minutes of sheer torture, we retreated to our respective locker rooms. I splashed some water on my face and dried it off with a paper towel. Gathering my books, I walked outside slowly. Next period I had lunch, so I'd be seeing Andreas again. For some reason, I started walking a bit faster, eager to see him.

I scolded myself.

_Replacing Quil isn't going to make you any happier, Claire. Confront your problems, don't try to avoid them._

Was that what I was trying to do?

Replace Quil?

I was jolted out of my trance by massive amounts of pain echoing through the chambers of my head. I dropped my books and sat on the floor, holding my head tightly.

The pain was so excruciating that I was sure that my head was going to split in half. Blood dripped, sticky and warm, through my fingers as I tried to stifle my sobs. My vision was blurry and I was seeing random black spots scattered across my vision. I was so STUPID!!

I felt warm hands on my back, helping me up. My eyes were scrunched up tightly, so I couldn't see who it was. The ground left my feet all of a sudden, and I let out a piercing scream. What was happening?

"Shhh, Claire, you'll be fine. It's just me, Andreas. Remember, we had Chemistry together two periods ago? Wow, that sounds incredibly like a corny pick-up line. I assure you, I am not trying to get it on with you."

He punctuated his speech of sorts with laughter.

I opened my eyes a tiny bit to discover that Andreas was carrying me piggyback through the hallways. I bit my lip against the pain, and fought to keep a calm voice.

"Where are we going?"

He turned his head back a little to face me.

"Nurse's office. Your head is bleeding quite a bit; I think you'll need stitches. You should have seen how gored up that door was; it looked like someone had puked on it. Quite gross, really."

He turned into the nurse's office, and cleared his throat.

The nurse took one look at us and her eyes widened considerably.

"What in the world happened here?"

I could barely imagine how weird this looked. A wimpy-looking , skinny kid was carrying a girl who was almost his height on his back, while she was holding her head and blood was gushing everywhere. Really, this was very awkward. The bare skin of my upper thighs was pressed against the bare skin of his lower back – his shirt had ridden up and his pants were sagging – but even so, it didn't feel that awkward. It probably looked it, though. I almost laughed at the hilarity of the situation before another wave of pain overwhelmed me.

"Put her on this bed immediately!"

The nurse turned a commanding glare towards Andreas.

He lowered me carefully to the bed, and then I saw what my bloody forehead had done to him.

His previously platinum hair now had ugly rust-color streaks in it. There were a few small trickles of it going down his neck and into his shirt.

My observation was rudely interrupted by an explosion of pain.

I closed my eyes, and willed myself to sleep.

* * *

So I figured, better post a new chapter that's a bit of a filler than keep procrastinating and schiesse.

I think my interest in this story has been rekindled a little -- if you review, more chapters will be posted sooner. See, you guys are the reason I keep writing, because if someone gives me a nice review, I write quicker. And before you start giving me that if-that's-so-then-why-didn't-you-post-this-chapter-earlier look, I had it ready, but no one wanted to beta for me.

So...REVIEW!!!! 3

I give you a cupcake if you do :D

xx

Amoeba

Oh, and by the way, go listen to Tokio Hotel. Bill = LOVE 333

And yes, all four of them are guys. Manly guys. With muscles -waggles eyebrows-...

I'll stop boring you. NOW GO REVIEW BEFORE I ATTACK!!!!! XD


	13. Author's Note

**Okay, so this is one of those annoying A/Ns that everyone hates.**

**Now, I'm going to tell you the truth. The last chapter of LF? It was a DECOY. Yes, I know, I'm so very devious. But I put it in there to see what would happen if I sprung a ton of drama in -- and more importantly, if my feedback would become positive, or negative. Seeing as I wrote the entire chapter in the wee hours of the morning, and in the space of about 20 minutes, the writing wasn't so great. But whatever.**

**Just felt like telling you that -- but it's been really interesting to see what sort of reviews I've been getting XD**

**I'll post the real chapter up soon :)**

**And yes, I'm aware that a ton of you are going to kill me :P**

**xx**

**Amoeba**


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